Q: What kind of water feature should I have constructed in my yard?
A: That depends on your particular situation, yard and budget. We will come to your home and do a personal custom consultation to determine what is possible and give you options to consider in making your decision. See our online portfolio to see various projects we have done and then contact us to set up a consultation.
Q: How deep should my pond be?
A: If you are not going to have fish, you can have a more shallow pond. If you might have fish in your pond, then you should have a minimum depth of 24”, but preferably 30-36”. Various koi “experts” will tell you it needs to be deeper than that, but koi have been kept in ponds with 24-36” depth and do just fine. Most of our ponds have a maximum depth of 30”.
Q: What do I do with my pond in the winter?
A: Simple answer: nothing. Just keep it running as you would in the summer, bearing in mind, flowing water will not freeze. There are circumstances where you need to add a floating pond heater to maintain water flow or keep a hole open in the ice for fish.
Q: Which pond is better – one using concrete or a flexible liner?
A: That’s easy. The flexible liner allows more flexibility in the shape of the feature and has a longer lifespan. Concrete tends to crack over time and is difficult to repair. Beside those drawbacks, a flexible lined pond that is covered in natural rock just looks better – you ever see concrete in the waterfalls/streams you go to the mountains to look at?
Q: Do you recommend rocks and gravel in the pond?
A: My personal opinion is, Yes. Rocks and gravel allow more beneficial bacteria to colonize in your pond and deplete the nutrients that the algae need to grow. It makes for a cleaner pond; however, if you do ever need to clean it, it does require a little more labor. As far as looks go, a gravel covered pond looks better than bare liner.
Q: Do you put lights in your ponds?
A: Every one so far. They add a whole other dimension to the pond. You basically have three ponds: daytime pond, night-time pond, and winter pond each with its own character. If you shut your pond off in the winter or don’t have lights installed, you miss out on two aspects of your pond.
Q: Do you need a permit to build a pond?
A: In most circumstances, No. Only if the depth exceeds a certain measurement or you have an unusually picky municipality, no permits are required. The main concern you should have in choosing a contractor is his experience and knowledge in pond building. If he knows his stuff, you will have a quality pond that will stand the test of time.
Q: Will my pond breed mosquitos?
A: Not if it is properly constructed. Mosquitos need still water in order to multiply. A good flowing waterfall/stream/pond is actually very inhospitable to mosquitos, especially if you have fish that eat them! Even if they do try to breed in your pond, they’ll likely waste their efforts in effect reducing the mosquito population.
Q: How much maintenance will my pond need?
A: That depends on several factors, but we design our features to require the minimum of maintenance. I would plan on spending about 30 minutes a week. Basically, you will need to keep the skimmer free of debris by emptying the skimmer basket/net and occasionally washing out the foam pads. Also, you will want to capture any falling debris that can get saturated and fall to the bottom feeding the algae as it decomposes. Every few weeks, you will need to add beneficial bacteria to keep their population strong. Generally, you will not need an annual clean-out. A pond-less waterfall will require even less maintenance.
Q: How much should I expect to pay to have my pond or pond-less waterfall installed?
A: The installation costs vary based on the size and type of feature you want as well as things like accessibility for equipment and type/kind of stone used. Ponds start at about $5,000 for a small “starter” pond, pond-less waterfalls I would expect to pay at least $4,000. A typical backyard pond costs about $7-10,000, pond-less waterfall about $6-8,000. We have also done waterfall/ponds up to $60,000. Of course, each one is a custom feature and we will discuss options that fit your desires and budget. We build our water features to the highest standards, so we can confidently say you will get what you pay for.
Q: Do you sell plants and fish for my pond?
A: We don’t generally stock any fish or plants and prefer to let the clients pick out their own fish since it is not unlike picking out a pet. We typically install lilies and marginal plants in our ponds as these are easier to install during construction rather than later. You can add more marginal plants or floating plants as you desire. Each feature is constructed to have plants incorporated into it as they are a critical part of the pond ecosystem.
Q: How long will my water feature take to construct?
A: It can take a little as a week or months if a very large project. Most of our projects take between one and three weeks to complete. We are very focused in finishing a project once we start it. It will not take any longer than it needs to.
Q: How much do you require as a down payment?
A: Generally we get 50% down and 50% upon completion. This requires trust on both our parts, but we have built our reputation over the years of honesty and integrity. We like getting paid just as much as you like having the work done. We have many satisfied customers that are more than willing to vouch for WallsnFalls.
Q: What if I have a problem with my pond?
A: We are a phone call away. We build our water features to minimize any chance of problems, but if one arises, just call us and we will do our best to handle the problem in a timely manner.
Q: Will my yard turn into a construction zone during the building process?
A: Yes and No. It will be a construction zone, but we strive to not make it look like one. All our jobsites are left clean and organized at the end of the day. We will respect your property.
Q: Will I be happy with my project?
A: Just read our testimonials! |
